This was not what I was expecting it to be, but I loved it! I'm obsessed that Lauren Kate is writing Rom Coms now, and I can't wait to read more! There's a small part of me that feels like the ending was a little rushed, but otherwise, it was great! Moving, emotional, funny, romantic, and just sweet! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

My biggest recommendation is to go into this book blind. Do NOT read the synopsis. There’s a spoiler in it that literally takes until the 90ish percent mark to snap into place and it was so distracting for me the whole book wondering when it would happen. What you need to know is that Lauren’s writing is insanely good, this is magical realism, and you’ll get some good cameo time with characters from What’s in a Kiss? I absolutely think this could have been a five star read for me had I not read the summary.
Fenny has the best romantic swept-off-her-feet weekend with Sam on Catalina before heading home to the job of her dreams. She can’t stop thinking about him even though their goodbye was less than ideal. Showing up to work for her first day as director of Zombie Hospital goes completely sideways when they demote and replace her with some guy named Jude who just happens to looks like an older and less buff version of Sam. Confused by her irrational feelings for Jude and irritation with the turmoil on set, Fenny tries her best to prove herself.
Besides the whole spoilery summary shenanigan, I couldn’t help but love Fenny and her merry chase for her job and happily ever after. It’s a fun novel that I will absolutely recommend to readers who adore the genre tied in with a celebrity romance in a Southern California setting. I’m definitely looking forward to another Lauren book at some point!
Thank you Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

* I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. wasnt expecting that!

DNF. The Spirit of Love had such an intriguing concept; however, it just didn't land for me. The magical realism aspect of the story felt bland. I agree with other reviewers that the "twist" of the story was spoiled in the book description. I wasn't the biggest fan of Fenny. I didn't like how rude she was with Sam and Jude during their first interactions. She was sort of mean! I didn't feel a connection with her or the boys. I also didn't like the narration style. I don't really like it when the narrator talks to readers. The writing wasn't my favorite. Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC.

I think this is a book where you should absolutely go in cold, so I'll keep my review brief!

Fenny is a screenwriter and she is excited to finally get to direct the tv show she has worked on for a decade. However, things do not go to plan and she finds herself replaced at go time by a hotshot director who she wants nothing to do with.

Lauren's writing is gorgeous as always, the story is paced well, and there are some fun cameos from What's In A Kiss? I loved this book, and a lot of that is due to not reading the synopsis and picking it up because a friend said we should read it together.

Thank you to Putnam Books for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Super cute! If you're a fan of magical realism that you see in novels like Ashley Poston's, this would be up your alley! I think I was having trouble really connecting with the book and the characters, but it was still an amazing read!

First off I really liked the twist of the trope where the couple meet and then find out later they work together. It's a nice way to make a trope that gets used a lot and make it something different and new. As someone who really enjoyed time-slip romances from Ashley Poston I liked this one. The only issue I had was that the magical elements could've been explained a bit more.

Fenny has been waiting for this day for years. Having diligently worked her way up on the hit TV show Zombie Hospital, she’s about to step into her dream role as director.
However, on her first day, she’s blindsided and devastated when the producers inform her she’s being replaced.

She is absolutely shocked when she meets the new director, Jude, who looks bears an uncanny resemblance to Sam, the man she just had a brief but sexy encounter with this past weekend. Except that he looks a decade older and he doesn’t seem to recognize her.

Now, as Fenny is forced to work closely with the man who took her job, she’s determined to figure out the mystery of how Jude and Sam are connected. Despite her initial resentment, Fenny finds herself irresistibly drawn to Jude, leading her to face a difficult decision between her growing feelings for him and her lingering attraction to Sam.

This romcom follows through on its original premise, with witty dialogue, endearing characters and an enemies to lovers trope mixed with magical elements to create a vivid and life-affirming story of love across time and space.

This book's magical realism is what I adore about it; when done well, it's amazing, and it is here. The book is ideal for your summer getaway because it's quick and enjoyable to read. I was unable to simply put it down. perfect for fans of the seven year slip!

This was a cute story overall and I enjoy magical realism quite a bit. I was surprised at how long it took for Fenny to realize the connection between Jude and Sam. The pacing was pretty good for the entire story but the ending felt rushed considering face that we knew what was going to happen the whole time. Overall an enjoyable quick read! Thank you!

I liked this book way more than I thought I would. I am not usually one to pick a book with any kind of fantasy element in it so I wasn’t sure about the whole time slip love triangle. I am so glad I read it tho. Both men brought so much to the FMC and I loved to see their relationship grow. It was a great happy ending for the FMC and left me with the warm fuzzy feeling you want from a book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in return for my honest feedback. I requested this book because I found the summary description so intriguing!

Fenny finds herself in a love triangle of sorts between a young, adventurous, live in the now Sam, and her new rival Jude that took over the director role she was promised on her hit tv show.

Now the book description kind of spoils the whole “twist”. Fenny feels such a similar connection between the two men. They look so similar but their lease on life is so different. Can they be the same? If you merge them together it would be her perfect man!

With this book summary I thought we would have more of the magical realism, and that she would sense this connection way earlier (and not 90% in). I thought it was going to be back and forth between her time with each guy to make the decision of who do I want her to choose harder.

But instead we got her hot fling with Sam, then a lot of details about working on a tv set, and then a lot of confused lack of communication with Jude, then finally getting to the whole One Soul aspect that is literally called out on the cover.

I think this concept could be really great, the pacing and delivery just didn’t work for me.

4.25 stars

This was a fun and unique premise! Fenny meets Sam on a weekend trip and has an instant connection with him. When she returns to work the next week she meets Jude… who seems eerily similar to Sam, just 10 years older.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought Fenny was a really likeable and entertaining fmc. I really felt for her and all the things she was dealing with, from losing her directing spot to Jude, to figuring out her connection with both men, to her own feelings of not being good enough at her job. I liked how supportive her friends were and how they helped her figure things out.
I also really liked Jude. I thought I wouldn’t like him because of the circumstances he was introduced in, but I thought he was a really great character and I loved the connection between him and Fenny. They had really great chemistry and even though they both clearly had things they were trying to deal with privately they were still as open with each other as they could be.
I have kind of a love hate relationship with the magical realism aspect of this book. It was pretty ambiguous and not really explained which one the one hand was interesting because I feel like not everything needs an answer, but at the same time I really wanted to know what the heck was going on. Overall though I did really enjoy this book and thought it was a really interesting concept.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC!!

Fennys es escritora de un famoso programa. Se toma unos días para prepararse y poder dirigir algunos de los capítulos. En ese tiempo, conoce a Sam, con quien pasa una noche inolvidable, pero debe regresar al trabajo y no sabe cuándo se volverán a ver.

Llega muy feliz al set, ya que finalmente siente que todos esos años de sacrificio han valido la pena y ahora será directora. Sin embargo, le informan que se quedará como escritora porque han contratado al famoso escritor Jude, y deberá hacer lo que él le diga. Al conocerlo, se lleva una sorpresa, ya que Jude se parece mucho a Sam, aunque es mayor. A medida que pasa tiempo con Jude, Fennys empieza a notar más similitudes con Sam y se siente atraída por él. Pero, ¿es porque realmente le gusta o solo le recuerda a Sam?




~


Disfruté del libro, pero no entiendo por qué se incluye el tema de lo sobrenatural-viajes en el tiempo si apenas se va a explorar este tema.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a heartwarming read, with a creative premise! THE SPIRIT OF LOVE introduces us to Fenny, who couldn’t be happier—she’s just spent an unforgettable weekend on Catalina Island with the dreamy Sam, and she’s about to direct her first episode of the TV show she’s worked on for years. Nothing can stand in her way…until she shows up to set, only to find she’s been replaced by up-and-coming director Jude. Who, suspiciously enough, looks a lot like Sam, only older, with a sadness to him that wasn’t there before. But there’s no way they could be the same person—is there?

Magical realism in books, particularly romances, can sometimes be kind of hit-or-miss for me, and I’m never quite sure how I feel about it. However, I thought it was done so well in this book! I loved Lauren Kate’s take on a truly intriguing time-slip love triangle—Fenny’s chemistry with both Sam and Jude was so palpable, their connections so strong in different ways, I couldn’t even decide who to root for at some points. Kate’s writing style was so engaging and readable, and she does a great job of establishing the relationship/friendship dynamics among all the characters (it was also super fun to spot some familiar faces from her previous book, WHAT’S IN A KISS?)! Fenny’s journey of love, growth, and self-discovery was just a joy to follow. If there’s one thing I wanted a little more of, I wish we had gotten maybe one more chapter/some sort of epilogue—overall, things wrapped up nicely, but I thought the ending could have still been expanded on and maybe drawn out a bit more. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this one! Would highly recommend for anyone who loves a swoon-worthy romance with a dash of magic (some reviewers have drawn comparisons to Ashley Poston’s books, which I’d agree with, too) and a twist that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

Really enjoyed this book!! Honestly not the ending I was expecting but a fun twist. Would totally recommend!

The Spirit of Love by Lauren Kate is a captivating blend of romance and the supernatural. The protagonist, Lily, embarks on a beautiful journey of love, loss, and self-discovery. The vivid descriptions and enchanting setting pull you right into the story.

The romance is tender, making your heart ache and soar. The supernatural elements add depth and keep you intrigued.

Overall, it's a beautifully crafted novel celebrating love and the human spirit. A must-read for those who enjoy heartfelt and thought-provoking stories. Highly recommended!

I still struggle with magical realism. I agree with others that the summary gives away too much and takes away from the drama of the book. I would have liked a different ending. It came off as pretty hokey to me. The dialogue was meh. I didn't really care for Fenny and wasn't invested in her at all. 2.5 stars.

Fenny is about to make her big debut as a director on the hit show she's worked on for years. To prepare, she takes a weekend for herself on Catalina Island. The weather takes a turn, and Search & Rescuer, Sam, shows up to save Fenny.

Sam takes Fenny back to his cabin and they have an immediate draw to each other. They spend the weekend together and as Fenny prepares to leave, she realizes Sam has no plans to continue this if she's not there, so they say goodbye. But that doesn't mean Sam is out Fenny's mind.

Once she returns and reports to her first day as a producer, she's informed that she is no longer needed, and her job will be handled by Jude. As she comes face to face with Jude, she sees Sam's face, though he's matured. Rightfully so, she's angry with Jude, though he's drawn to her. As he breaks down walls and they get to know each other, Fenny grasps with the idea of Sam and Jude, and how it can be.

Obviously you'll have to read to find out how it ends. This was a good book - I'm not generally a fan of romantasy books, but I was certainly intrigued to find out how it ended. The writer had great character development and it was an interesting story.

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for the eARC copy of this book.

Fenny is about to start her dream career that she has worked really hard to get. When a new guy shows up and steals her thunder. He looks like Sam who she just spent an incredible weekend with.
But as she gets to know Jude, she learns that some things aren't always as they seem. And you can find love in unexpected places.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.